Mumblr and a Van Full of Snakes!
Text and portraits by Michael Bucher. Show images by Chris Narisi.
Mumblr is now a band with a van, a certain status symbol among up-and-comers. The 1989 Dodge Ram is a badge of honor, though it wouldn’t impress anyone on face value.
“It’s what you think a $1,000 van looks like,” says bassist Sean Reilly. “Like the urban decay crack epidemic world it was forged in.”
But the van symbolizes freedom. It defines a band’s commitment to sharing their music. That’s exactly what Mumblr intends to do, whether it’s through basement shows in Philly or in an upcoming tour across the country.
Images by Jason Melcher.
Philadelphia celebrated the “largest free concert in America” last Friday with thousands upon thousands of people in front of the Art Museum, from Eakins Oval to Logan Circle. The Fourth of July Jam featured hometown heroes The Roots, with Ed Sheeran, DJ Jazzy Jeff, Nicki Minaj, Jennifer Hudson, Aloe Blacc, Marlon Wayans and more. A magnificent fireworks display capped the night.
We have a ton of images from the event, starting with The Roots (below). Find pictures of Nicki Minaj, Jennifer Hudson and Aloe Blacc here.
Fourth of July Jam with The Roots, Nicki Minaj, Jennifer Hudson, Aloe Blacc and More (Part 2).
Images by Jason Melcher.
Philadelphia celebrated the “largest free concert in America” last Friday with thousands upon thousands of people in front of the Art Museum, from Eakins Oval to Logan Circle. The Fourth of July Jam featured hometown heroes The Roots, with Ed Sheeran, DJ Jazzy Jeff, Nicki Minaj, Jennifer Hudson, Aloe Blacc, Marlon Wayans and more. A magnificent fireworks display capped the night.
We have a ton of images from the event, starting with Nicki Minaj (below). Find pictures of The Roots, Ed Sheeran, DJ Jazzy Jeff and more here.
Spank Rock: Beyond The Booty.
Text by Christopher Malo. Images by Michael Bucher.
Fucking is a part of his music. Someone’s sexuality? Not so much.
“But to create an environment where people feel physically amped up to behave sexually?” Spank Rock considers. “Yes, that is what I am trying to create.”
The West Baltimore transplant sits at a table on the ground floor of the Kimmel Center, hunched over, looking pensive as his fingers work his chin and he contemplates the questions put forth. He has recently returned from Mexico, where he performed at San Miguel Sound, a music festival that takes place in a bullring.
He sports white sneakers, white basketball shorts, a cut white T-shirt with the name of his label, Bad Blood Records, in red across his chest and a backward white Decades Hat Co. on his head. The round glasses on his face are tinted to keep out the bright sunlight that falls through the Kimmel’s open design. Or possibly to keep anyone from seeing in as he peers out.
“And when I say people, I mean anybody who is in the room,” he says. “I mean everybody. Which I think maybe influences some of the choices about what words I use in my music. I want people to feel comfortable and open to be themselves, at any moment in time, when they listen to my music and come to my shows.”
WIN FREE TICKETS! See Kitten at District N9NE!
We’ve got a pair of tickets for you to see Kitten at District N9NE (formerly known as the Starlight Ballroom) next Wednesday.
Like us on facebook and email us at FreeJumpStuff@gmail.com to enter to win a pair of tickets (give us your name and put “Kitten” in the subject line).
If you want to play it safe, you can purchase tickets here.
Lovers League Album Release @ Johnny Brenda’s with New Sweden, The Spinning Leaves and Hezekiah Jones.
Text and images by Darragh Dandurand.
Johnny Brenda’s felt like home on the hot and sticky summer night of Lovers League‘s album release, sponsored by the Philadelphia Folk Song Society. Every third person in the venue seemed to be the brother, mother or highly supportive roommate of one of the musicians from the four-band lineup.
Text and images by Brianna Spause.
There was a celebration upstairs at Bourbon & Branch on Saturday night. Alright Junior, the modern rock trio from Northern Liberties that have been making rounds in Philadelphia since 2006, dropped their second full length album, Amusia. And they invited all of their friends.
Faust Revisited @ PhilaMOCA.
Text by Donte Kirby.
The 1926 silent film Faust was given a new, experimental score produced by Adam Clair and screened at PhilaMOCA last Thursday to a sparse crowd.
The evening started with the short silent film A Trip to the Moon with accompanying score “Four Organs” by Steve Reich. It cleared the palette and got the audience in the right mindset for the two-hour feature film of a bygone era.
Clair’s goal was to explore how music affects the way we interpret film and vice versa. The plot sees dominion over all of earth at stake when an angel and a demon place a bet on whether the latter can corrupt Faust’s soul in a classic exploration on man’s ability to choose between good and evil.
Clair’s score, featuring everything from mid-century experimental pieces to modern pop songs, made scenes feel more like an action film, where one becomes more invested in the action taking place and not so much the outcome of the scene. The punch of truly emotional scenes, like the accidental death of Faust’s baby, couldn’t be lost, but the original orchestral score might lend itself better to these tragic or heartfelt moments.
“It’s kind of similar to watching The Wizard of Oz while listening to The Dark Side of The Moon,” Clair described. “But weirder.”
He said he didn’t sync the music perfectly with every scene because he wanted to challenge the viewer. That challenge made the screening more fun and engaging.
Text and images by Mina Lee.
Last Wednesday, Vacationer, Philly’s resident chillologists, made a sold out Johnny Brenda’s crowd sweat in celebration of the band’s brand new second album, Relief.
Rochester natives Joywave prepped the crowd, forcing everyone to move with hits like “Tongues,” erasing any doubts regarding reckless dancing on a Wednesday night.
After a brief intermission, Vacationer took to the stage. The crowd was unfazed by the thick layer of humidity as packed bodies shook loose limbs with an unrelenting abundance of energy.
Older, feel-good hits like “Good as New” were offered between singles off their new album. Die-hard fans sang lyrics from an album released two days prior to the show.
“Whether you know it or not, you’re on constant vacation,” frontman Kenny Vasoli told the crowd. “Work is not that important.”
The fans danced on in clear agreement.
The Antlers @ Union Transfer.
Text and images by Kate McCann.
After undergoing a recent name change, Mr Twin Sister opened last night at Union Transfer to an early crowd of teens and dream pop lovers.
Vocalist Andrea Estella took the stage, donning shorts so short they could barely be seen beneath her oversized-plaid suit jacket. She danced in front of her four chill wave gentlemen with billowing blue pigtails from her head. On their second night of tour with The Antlers, the band seemed energized, though perhaps slightly overwhelmed by the audience.
Despite a technically difficult set change, The Antlers entered, and the lights went down. Four jellyfish shaped cages of light backed the bank as they opened with “Palace,” off their LP, Familiars, released two weeks ago. With the first burst of trumpet during “Doppelganger,” the balcony bar crowd simmered and the audience finally became entranced in music.
The crowd was excitable and yearned for old favorites off of their first LP Hospice, which vocalist Peter Silberman eventually sprinkled throughout the set. Though a mixed crowd gathered at Union Transfer, all tensions were quelled by a solid performance.
JUMP: The Philly Music Project 